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The surface of Venus is comparatively flat. When 93% of the topography was mapped by Pioneer Venus Orbiter, scientists found that the total distance from the lowest point to the highest point on the entire surface was about 13 kilometres (8.1 mi), about the same as the vertical distance between the Earth's ocean floor and the higher summits of the Himalayas.
The surface conditions on Venus are more extreme than on Earth, with temperatures ranging from 453 to 473 °C and pressures of 95 bar. [3] Venus lacks water, which makes crustal rock stronger and helps preserve surface features. The features observed provide evidence for the geological processes at work.
It is sometimes called Earth's "sister planet" due to their similar size, gravity, and bulk composition (Venus is both the closest planet to Earth and the planet closest in size to Earth). The surface of Venus is covered by a dense atmosphere and presents clear evidence of former violent volcanic activity.
The USGS Branch of Astrogeology [9] has produced full resolution radar maps (also known as FMAPs) of Venus from the SAR data collected from the mission, called the Magellan F-BIDRs (Full resolution Basic Image Data Records). The maps have a coverage of around 92% (combination of the 2 left-looking cycles).
Color-coded elevation map, showing the elevated terrae "continents" in yellow and minor features of Venus. The Venusian surface was a subject of speculation until some of its secrets were revealed by planetary science in the 20th century. Venera landers in 1975 and 1982 returned images of a surface covered in sediment and relatively angular ...
Transits of Venus at NASA.gov; Geody Venus, a search engine for surface features; Cartographic resources. Map-a-Planet: Venus by the U.S. Geological Survey; Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature: Venus by the International Astronomical Union; Venus crater database by the Lunar and Planetary Institute; Map of Venus by Eötvös Loránd University
By Will Dunham. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Earth is an ocean world, with water covering about 71% of its surface. Venus, our closest planetary neighbor, is sometimes called Earth's twin based on their ...
Composition of the atmosphere of Venus. The chart on the right is an expanded view of the trace elements that all together do not even make up a tenth of a percent. The atmosphere of Venus is composed of 96.5% carbon dioxide, 3.5% nitrogen, and traces of other gases, most notably sulfur dioxide. [12]